Road grading machine



March 5, 1935. K. \w. PORTER 1,993,282

ROAD GRADING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 1932 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 luggluun March 5, '1935. K; w..PoRTER ROAD GRADING MACHINE ets-sh et' 2 Filed Dec.Y l5, 1952 March 5, 1935. K, w PORTER 1,993,282

ROAD GRADING MACHINE Filed Dec. `15, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE corporation of Illinois Application December 15, 1932, Serial No. 647,300

12 Claims.

My invention relates in general to'road graders.

It `relates more in particular' to a road grader adapted to travel on a finished hard road surface and operate on the road shoulder'or other portion of the earth at the side of the road.

In the prior Patents, No. 1,905,420, and No. 1,884,113, of Charles J. .Morita Vand in my copending application, Serial No. 594,573, road gradersof this general type are disclosed. In this Y form of road grader, the finished road, for example a hard concrete road surface, has a guide in `conducting other grading operations at the side of the road. Besides finishing a road ,shoulder which normally vis substantially an earth coni tinuation of the hard road, undercutting the side of the road for the application of new pavement and the like, I havefound that a machine of this character can be employed to great advantage in other types of operations, principally in operating .on a ditch or in'imparting unusual con'- tours to the earth at ,the side of the road which may be necessary in particular cases. I have found, therefore, that a grader of this kind can be improved principally to take care of operations which have been practically impossible heretofore and also in'improving the operation of the grader for the purposes to which it has been adapted.

The principal object of my present invention is to improve graders of the character described.

Another object is to modify such a grader to permit its operation for substantially any type ofgrading operation at the edge of a finished road.v i

' Another object is to increase the strength of such a grader without sacrificing anything in maneuverability and adjustability.v

Another object vi's'the provision of improved leveling ymechanism and an improved slope indicating mechanism.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the follow-v ing detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a portion of the grader carriage and the improved lfeatures of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of a portion thereof on a slightly larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a plan projection from Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the portion of the grader .shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation showing a control feature;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5; l

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional ViewV showingwa portion of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detailed section taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. l; f

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentaryv elevational view showing the hinge arrangement between two portions of the mold board;

Fig. 10 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation taken on the line 10-110 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged elevational viewl showing thelevel or slope indicating device;

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional'view takenv on line 12f-12 of Fig. 11; and s Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on the linel 13-13 of Fig. 1. K y

`As previously described, the grader carriage is adapted to travel on the finished road surface and is provided with four wheels, one of which-is indicated at A16 in Figs. 1 and r4, and a frame 17, a fragment of which is also shown. A main mold board l18 is adjustably supported from the frame in amanner to be described and successive extensions thereof 19'and 21 are attached thereto and independently adjustable `as. will be de- Y scribed. The two mold board sections 19 and 2l,A may, of course, be utilized for many purposes, but in general may bereferred to as a rsloper blade the and back sloper, respectively, for convenience p of description. y l i y i- The carriage 17 has a. pair of transverse members 22 projecting sideways therefrom intermediate thevwheels and together constituting a mold board supporting extension. The mold board supporting casting 23 is pivoted at 24 between the two members 22. Thisvcasting comprises a substantially vertical tubular section 23a and an arm 23h. This arm has a bifurcated end which en-A gages around a pin 26 carried by a block 27, the block being elevated or lowered by the operation of a screw rigidlyconnected toa; hand wheel 28. By this meansthe entire castingcan ybe rocked about the pivot Y24: Ato incline the tubular portion 23a transversely in either direction. y

The tubular portion has an upward -extensio 29 (Figs. 5 and 7), the inside surface of which is flush with the inside surface of the tubular portion 23a. A mold board supporting member 31 is slidably supported on the inside surface and is provided at its lower end with a bracket member 32 for attaching it to lugs carried on the rear of the mold board. 'Ihe upper portion of the extension 3l is provided with a lblock 33 into which a screw 34 is threaded so that rotation of the screw will either elevate or lower the entire mold board assembly. For operating the screw in the embodiment shown, I provide a pair of bevel gears 36 and 37, one secured to the screw 34 and the other secured to a transverse stub shaft 38 which is rotated by a hand wheel 39. Suitable bearings are provided for the screw 34 including a radial and thrust bearing, it being understood that substantially the entire weight of the mold board is carried by the screw 34. The thrust bearing 41 is of a ball or roller type while the radial bearing 42 is a usual type of sleeve bea-r- I reinforce the mold board by a structure including a bow member 43 secured at its ends to the back of the mold board through suitable brackets and a pair of arms 44 and 46 which are attached at one end to the rear of the mold board by means of brackets ,and also secured to the bow member 43. Each of the arms 44 which are triangular, comprises an upper portion which extends down from near the top of the mold board to engage the bow member 43 and another portion which extends in line with the bow'member 43 to the lower portion of the mold board as shown in Fig. 13. The same type of construction is employed for the arm 46. Intermediate the ends of the mold board, and on either side of its support from the carriage, I provide a pair of arms 47 which also are attached both to the mold board and to the bow member 43. Above this reinforcing structure, I support by suitable bracket arrangements a platform 48 on which the operator of the mold board maystand soy that all of the adjusting hand wheels and the like will be Within his reach. f

The mold board is adapted to be given an in 4 clination by rotating the entire mold board struc-V ture about the screw 34. To this end I provide a frame 49 semi-circular in general shape and having its ends extending over the top of the respectively. Theucircle frame extends between a pair of bracket members 51 carried on a draw bar 52 and a pin 53 is adapted to extend through any one of a number of holes in the circle "frame, to support it in the position to which it has been e adjusted. It will be understood that in accord-V ance with the showing in previous graders of this character hereinabove referred to that the draw bar has its. front edge attached to a carriage extension so that`the main draft is through the draw bar 52.V This draw bar is secured at its rear end as shown in Fig. 3 to the mold board` supporting casting 23.

Reference will now be made'to the sloper blade 19 and the manner in which it is supported and adjusted with respect to themain mold board proper. Y

At the rear of the main mold board, I provide a casting 56 pivoted to the main mold boardby pin 57 and having a hinged portion engaging 3a pin 58. A second hinged portion'59 is secured,-

Lacasse axis, the casting 56 has an arm extension 61 at the top of which a nut 62 is carried on a universal pivot. The main mold board has an arm 63 also provided with a nut having a universal pivot, and a screw 64 having left hand and right hand threads at its end engages in the two nuts and is adapted to be turned by means of a hand wheel 66. Movement of the hand wheel through the mechanism shown and described, therefore, rotates the sloper blade about the horizontal pin 57, thus raising it, for example, to the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

To prevent any possibility of the screw 64 turning during operation, I provide a stop including a sleeve 67 carried on the screw, a depending arrn 67a engaging the rear of the mold board, an arm 67h adapted to extend between the spokes of the hand wheel and a handle 670. By moving the stop member to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the hand wheel 66 is prevented from turning. Before referring to the means of inclining the sloper vertically, I shall consider the reinforcing structure of the mold board and the manner in which it supports the back sloper 21. I employ a trestle construction sometimes referred to as a cantilever construction including a longitudinal member 68 with web members 69, the ends of which are secured to the members 68 and a plurality of positions on the rear of the mold board. This longitudinal member 68 has a portion 68a also engaging the rear of the sloperv blade, a rearwardly extending member 71 forms part .of the bracing and also functions as an arm utilized in the adjustment of the sloper'. The inner end of this arm 71 is rconnected to the rear of the sloper blade. The remaining endigf the longitudinal member 68 is connected to a pin 72, this pin being supported on the end of the sloper blade. The back sloper blade 21 is directly pivoted on the pin 72 but is also provided with a longitudinal reinforcing arm 73 which structurally forms a continuation of; the longitudinal structural member 68. One end of this member 73 is attached to the extreme end of the back sloperand the opposite end is provided with a sleeve 74 which is also pivoted around the pin. 72. A plurality of bracing members 75 are provided betweenl the structural member 73 and the back of the back sloper. VFor inclining the sloper blade 19, I provide a screw 76 with a hand wheel 77, the screw threads threaded into one nut universally supported on the arms 44 and journalled in a bearing universally supported on arm 71. The usual right and lefthand thread also could be used on screw 76 as a modication. Fig. 8 shows the manner in which the nut'is supported on the arm 71. This arm has an' angle 78 secured thereto and the nut 79 is provided with a pin 81 extending through one arm of the angle so as to provide a pivot. Rotation of the hand wheel 77 obviously will move the arm 71 with respect to the arm 44. This will cause the sloper blade to rotate on the pin 58, thus inclining the sloper blade with respect to the maini mold board.

Now considering the reinforcing structure of the sloper and back sloper, it is obvious that the strain on these members is transferred `back andA carried in part by the mainmold board through this reinforcing structure. The adjusting screw 76 in itself forms a part of this reinforcing structure. By this means, a great deal of the strain is taken off of the pivoting connections between the various blades andwhere necessary the sloper and back sloper may be used as extensions ofthe main mold board to operate on a relatively wide shoulder. Under these conditions, the parts would occupy substantially the positions shown in Fig. 1. Y f

The back sloper is also adjustable on the horizontal pivot pin 72-with respect to the sloper blade 19. To secure Ithis action, I provide an upstanding arm 83 on the back sloper and an arm 84 on the sloper blade 19. These two arms are interconnected by an adjustable rod 86 pivoted at its ends to the two arms. A ratchet frame 87, semi-circular in shape, is secured to the sloper blade 19 and a spring pressed pawl or plunger '88, operated by a hand piece 89, is adapted to engage anyone of a number of slots in the frame 87 to hold the back sloper in any position to which it has been adjusted. 'Ihis is a standard type of supporting or locking mechanism readily understood by those skilled in the art. In the design as shown, the back sloper is capable of` receiving a much greater upwardmovement than downward movement. This is arranged designedly because in most operations in which the back sloper must be used as a separate operating element, it will have to be inclined upwardly. For example, in operating in a ditch, the sloper blade 19 would incline downwardly and the back sloper would incline upwardly to grade the two sides of the ditch.

Y As previously described, the entire mold board assembly maybe tilted transversely of the carriage to slope theshoulder with respect to the nished roadway in either direction or to grade it in line with the finished road surface as required in a particular case. For indicating the shoulder slope directly, I provide a plumb bob construction on the main post which supports the mold board assembly. A pendular arm 91 is pivoted at 92 to a panel 93 mounted on the tubular extension 29 of the post. A lead weight pointer 94 is provided on the lower end of the arm 91 adjacent a scale 96 provided on the panel. 'I'his scale shows a zero position when the post is vertical (assuming the road surface is without slope) and graduated indicia on each side of zero showing the inclination in either direction. The operator will know the slope of the road on which he is operating and by setting the mold board on the basis of the inclination of the pointer 94, can regulate the shoulder slope without measuring. I have found that if the pendular arm is supported from an ordinary pivot and weighted with a relatively heavy pointer, it will be held substantially stationary while the grader is moving and if there should be any swinging moment the mean can be read accurately to indicate the shoulder slope.

I have described my invention in detail in order that those skilled in the art may practice the same, but it is obvious that I am not restricted to the form of the invention shown, but such invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a road grader, a carriage adapted to travel on a finished road surface, a side extension on said carriage and three separately adjustable scraper blades including, a mold board supported on said side extension and adapted to operate on a road shoulder, a sloper blade having vertical and horizontal adjustment with respect to the mold board, and a back sloper having vertical adjustment with respect to the sloper blade.

2.,In a road grader, acarriage, a mold board adjustably carriedat the side ofthe carriage,` a hinge `casting secured onfa horizontal pivot to one end of said kmold board, fa sloper blade hinged to said hinge casting on arvertical pivot, a truss reinforcing frame secured to the back of said mold board, a truss reinforcing frame secured to the back of the sloper blade, and an adjusting screw-'forming vaconnection to the two truss frames for adjustment of said blade about the vertical pivot, said Vscrewv forming a part ofl a truss connection between the mold board and sloper blade.

3. In a roadgrader, a carriage, a mold board adjustably carried at the side of y the` carriage, `a hinge casting'secured on a horizontal pivot to one end of saidgmold board, a sloper blade hinged to said hinge casting on a Vertical pivot, Yan arm projecting upwardly from said hinge casting, an arm projecting upwardly from the mold board. and anv adjustable Ascrew interconnecting said two arms for adjusting the sloper blade vertically about said horizontal pivot. i 4. In a`road grader,a carriage, a mold board adjustably carried at the sideof thecarriage, a

hinge casting secured on a horizontal pivot toY one end of said mold'board, a sloper blade hinged to said-hinge castingl on a vertical pivot, anfarm projecting upwardly frompsai'd hinge casting, an arm projecting upwardly from :the mold board, an adjustable screw interconnecting said two arms fory adjusting' the sloper blade vertically about 'said horizontal'pivot, and means for locking said adjustable screw to maintain the adjusted vertical position of the sloper blade.

5. In a road grader, a carriage, a main mold board adjustably carried at one side of the carriage, a truss reinforcing frame secured to the rear of said mold board, a sloper blade secured at one end of the mold board to have vertical and horizontal adjustment, a truss reinforcing frame secured at the rear of the sloper blade, a back sloper vertically adjustably pivoted at the end ofthe sloper blade, and a truss reinforcing frame at the rear of said back sloper.

6. In a road grader, a carriage, a main mold board adjustably carried at one side of the carriage, a truss reinforcing frame secured to the rear of said mold board, a sloper blade secured at one end of the mold board to have vertical and horizontal adjustment, a truss reinforcing frame secured at the rear of the sloper blade, a back sloper vertically adjustably pivoted at the end of the sloper blade,` a truss reinforcing frame at the rear of said back sloper, and a connection between the back slopertruss frame and a sloper truss frame at the pivot between the two frames.

7. In a road grader, a carriage, a main mold board adjustably carried at one side of the carriage, a truss reinforcing frame secured to the rear of said mold board, a sloper blade secured at an end of the mold board to have vertical and horizontal adjustment, a truss reinforcing frame secured at the rear of the sloper blade, a back sloper vertically adjustably pivoted at the end of the sloper blade, a truss reinforcing frame at therear of said back sloper, a connection between the back sloper truss frame and the sloper truss frame at the pivot between the two frames, and an adjustable screw interconnecting the sloper truss frame and the mold board truss frame for adjusting the sloper blade horizontally with respect to the mold board and for interconnecting the truss reinforcing frame of thes two members.

1 8. In a road grader, a carriage, a mold board adjustably supported at the side of the carriage, a sloper blade adjustably carried at the end of the mold board, a back sloper secured to the end of the sloper blade on a horizontal pivot, an arm projecting upwardly from the sloper blade and pivoted thereto, an arm projecting upwardly from the back sloper and secured thereto, a link between the two arms whereby the pivoted arm may be moved to incline ,the back sloper in a vertical direction with respect to the sloper blade, and means for supporting vsaid pivoted arm in any adjusted position. Y 9. The combination dened in claim 8, wherein both the sloper blade and back sloper blade are provided with a truss reinforcing frame at the rear thereof, said pivot between the two blades being relatively long andV interconnecting the two truss frames whereby to reinforce said pivot. l

10. In a road grader, a movable carriage, an extension from the side of said carriage, a mold board supporting casting adjustably pivoted to said extension, an upwardly V-projecting post secured to said extension, a mold board, a tubular projection from the mold board extending upwardly into said post, a threaded block secured to the upper portion of said tubular projection, a screw threaded in said block and journaled in said post, a beveled gear secured to the top of said screw, a second beveledA gear engaging with the rst beveled gear, a stubk shaft secured to said second beveled gear and journaled through an extension of the post, and a vertically disposed hand wheel secured to a projecting portion of said stub shaft. i

11. Ina road grader, a carriage, a mold board adjustably carried at the side of the carriage, a hinge casting secured on a horizontal pivot to one end of said moldv board, a sloper blade hinged to said hinge casting onV a vertical pivot, and a back sloper blade'attached to the end of said sloper blade on a horizontalpivot and means for separably adjusting the cutting position of each of the three blades, whereby a three position cut may be made at the side of the road with each position being variable with respect to the adjacent position.

`12. In a road grader, a carriage, a mold board adjustably carried at the side of the carriage, a hinge casting secured on a horizontal pivot to one end of said mold board, a sloper blade hinged to said hinge casting on a vertical pivot, an arm projecting upwardly from said hinge casting, an arm projecting upwardly from the mold board, an adjustable screw interconnecting said two arms for adjusting the sloper blade vertically about said horizontalA pivot, a hand wheel for adjusting the screw, and means for locking said adjustable screw to maintain the adjusted Verftical position of the sloper blade, said means including a stop having a sleeve slidably carried on the adjusting screw, a depending arm on said sleeve for engaging the rear of the mold board, a horizontal armthereon for extending between the spokes of the hand wheel, and a handle for sliding the sleeve on said screw.

. f W. PORTER. 

